House of Commons trip for bar's main man Grant

On Wednesday Grant Fraser attended a special House of Commons event to mark his graduation from the Stonegate Pub Company’s “bar to boardroom” management training programme.

In an industry often accused of failing to provide incentives Stonegate aims to cut a distinctive dash by making possible the licensed trade equivalent of Napoleon’s dictum that every soldier should have a field marshal’s baton in his knapsack.

Grant was there to celebrate the 200th general manager appointment from Stonegate’s own workforce, having successfully completed the firm’s award-winning accelerator programme.

Part of that wideranging course requires the candidate to devise and run a fundraiser event in their pub for a charity of their choice - and to date they have raised over £300,000 for UK charities.

Stonegate chief executive Simon Longbottom said: “The course is a shining example of how commitment in personal development can change people’s lives, as they fast become the company’s most promising managers and future industry leaders”.